Those bemoaning the lack of quality film fare this spring can take heart.

Four independent films by and with filmmakers and talent of note are scheduled to open here before the summer rush which starts - believe it or not - April 19, with Tom Cruise's "Oblivion." | April 2, 2013»Read Full Blog Post

A store called the Malt Shoppe that's dedicated strictly to beer -- bottled beer, beer in growlers, and items like specialty glassware -- is planned for 813 N. Mayfair Road in Wauwatosa.

Owner Patrick Lafferty said his idea for the shop came from the Four Firkins, a beer-focused store he's visited in Minneapolis. "There's nothing like that here," Lafferty said. | May 2, 2014»Read Full Blog Post

Actually, the folks over at the Skylight are whipping up a mix of show tunes, arias and art songs, mixed with songs from the Civil War to World War I that have been reworked by composer Daron Hagen for his new show, "I Hear America Singing." The show, which opens Friday, uses the tunes to support a plot in which three music-school friends reunite for a show a few decades into their careers. | May 2, 2014»Read Full Article

Even though his Surly Brewing products won't be available in Wisconsin until next year, owner Omar Ansari said Surly — in the middle of construction on a new $20 million brewery — is tied to Milwaukee. | May 2, 2014»Read Full Article

Meditating in "Ragtime" on the Hungarian Jew named Ehrich Weiss, who spent part of his youth in Appleton and Milwaukee before morphing into Harry Houdini, E.L. Doctorow writes that Houdini "could not reason from his own hurt feelings. To the end he would be almost totally unaware of the design of his career, the great map of revolution laid out by his life."

In "The Confabulist," novelist Steven Gallowaytakes that idea and runs with it, telling the story of an artist whose meticulously crafted persona — what Galloway refers to as "a shell to show the world" — led to the eventual disappearance of the underlying man, who vanished as fully as Houdini himself seemed to do when on stage. | May 2, 2014»Read Full Article

The combination of Puccini's gorgeous melodies, an engaging backstory of four bohemians living in the Latin Quarter of Paris and a heartbreaking love story have made it, globally, one of the most often performed pieces of the opera repertoire. | May 2, 2014»Read Full Article

On Fridays I'm posting my thoughts on Lou Reed's solo albums, one album at a time in chronological order of release.

When he recorded "Ecstasy" (2000), Lou Reed had been playing for some years with the tightest, most versatile rhythm section he'd ever had: bassist Fernando Saunders and drummer Tony (Thunder) Smith. Second guitarist Mike Rathke had been Lou's simpatico foil for more than a decade. Lou's albums with these musicians, which also include "Set the Twilight Reeling" and "Perfect Night: Live in London," were recorded about as well it was possible to record rock music. | May 2, 2014»Read Full Blog Post(1)

Announcing the grant Friday, the Rep said that, combined with a $250,000 grant from the United Performing Arts Fund and a $75,000 grant from the Bert L. and Patricia S. Steigleder Charitable Trust, the Herzfeld Foundation gift gives the theater company almost 50% of the estimated $1.75 million needed to repair its settling theater complex at 108 E. Wells St. | May 2, 2014»Read Full Article

I don't know of a more convoluted museum site, the product of a generation of piecemeal development that has been more focused on fashionable architecture and the museum's near-term needs than the long-term impact on the lakefront. | May 2, 2014»Read Full Article(16)

Are you ready for some FootGolf? At 10 a.m. Friday, Milwaukee County Parks opens its first 18-hole course for FootGolf — a cross between soccer and golf — at Lincoln Park, 1000 W. Hampton Ave., and its first 9-hole course at Doyne Park, 5300 W. Wells St. Fees are $15 at Lincoln and $5 at Doyne; playing the Lincoln course requires a reservation, either online at countyparks.com or by calling (414) 475-6222. Bonus: You can rent soccer balls at both courses.

It's a timely question: Spring is when I step up visits for the annual Top 30 list in September, weaving those dinners into my regular schedule of new restaurants being reviewed for the first time. | May 2, 2014»Read Full Article(4)

The stage will be the place to see some of the most talked about up-and-coming rock bands of the year, including Kongos, a South African band of brothers with the alt-rock chart-topping hit "Come With Me Now," as well as Bleachers, a new pop-rock side project fronted by fun. guitarist Jack Antonoff. There'll also be a few more seasoned headliners, including Switchfoot and Neon Trees.| May 2, 2014»Read Full Article